• The amended rules permit new digital transmission technologies to operate in the 902-928 MHz (915 MHz), 2400-2483.5 MHz (2.4 GHz), and 5725-5850 (5.7 GHz) bands under the existing rules for spread spectrum systems.

The current rules only permit the operation of direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) systems on a non-licensed basis. However, the Commission has determined that because new digital modulation technologies have spectrum characteristics similar to DSSS systems, they can operate under the same rules as DSSS devices in the 915 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.7 GHz bands, without posing additional risk of interference.

• FHSS systems in the 2.4 GHz band have been granted more flexibility in design and operation. The agency will now permit the use of as few as 15 hopping channels for FHSS in the 2.4GHz band. These systems will be able to use channel bandwidth up to 5 MHz wide, but they must reduce their output power to 125mW if fewer than 75 hopping channels are used. This action, the Commission said, will allow new FHSS systems to better avoid interference than today’s systems by enabling them to avoid occupied channels.

• The processing gain requirement for DSSS systems has been eliminated to encourage manufacturers to design products that can withstand interference from other radio frequency devices.

For more information: http://www.fcc.gov